be an accountant, not a salesperson for other things

extreme close up of female hand with pen pointing on cash flow document.“a piece of the action” didn’t pan out.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

there are accountants who only do accounting and accountants who also do other things such as selling financial products and doing deals with the client. there is nothing wrong with this, but with some very minor exceptions, i never did the other things.

more: 10 reasons for my success | social security is an asset class | how to waste lunch hour | what’s your negotiating style? | how to make your own opportunities | how i became a published author | large clients we landed from quickbooks consulting
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

accountants have many openings and opportunities to

  • sell life insurance, annuities, mutual funds and tax shelters;
  • broker mortgages;
  • find buyers for a client’s business;
  • manage investments;
  • introduce investors;
  • perform executive searches and
  • even invest along with clients.

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10 reasons for my success

number 10watch for opportunities.

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by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

recently i was asked if i could provide some reasons for my success.

more: social security is an asset class | when clients don’t know | why you’re only as good as your staff | why tax time is the best time to get new business | becoming a ‘media star’ | don’t pass up opportunities | why we train on excel, word and adobe | stop pricing by the hour | getting by giving back
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

this gave me an opportunity to think about it and i came up with a list of 10 reasons that i am presenting here. i hope you take away some ideas from this. if you have your own list, i would appreciate it if you would share it with me.
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do your clients feel important?

portrait of a mature businesswoman giving a binder8 ways to delight them.

by ed mendlowitz
tax season opportunity guide

clients are our customers. they pay our salary and enable us to make good livings. do what you can to accommodate them and make them feel important – as important as they believe they are.

more: 5 small leaks to beware during tax season | 5 tax review keys | 4 reasons to push ahead with tax question research | one can’t-skip touch for tax season | 5 steps for tax season success | help tax clients help you | 3 steps to tax season happiness | 12 ways to have more fun this tax season
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

also be user-friendly – do not make it difficult to work with you. clients don’t know how smart we are. they think we are great, but they measure us by the small things – the good and bad.
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social security as an asset class

scale with coins on one side, alarm clock on the otherwithdraw funds from elsewhere.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

if you have ever worked in the united states or were married to someone who did, the chances are you will eventually receive social security benefits.

more: when clients don’t know | when the kids don’t want to take over | staff may surprise you with leadership | problem clients | when pushing the pencil pays off | when to say no to pro bono work | i used to hate quickbooks | things change
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

there are different ages when regular benefits can start beginning at age 62. the longer the benefits are delayed, the greater they will be … until reaching age 70.
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when clients don’t know

two older businessmen talkinginvestigate motive before diving in.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

we all have clients who wonder what their business is worth and sometimes imagine getting away from it all.

more: when the kids don’t want to take over | how to waste lunch hour | what’s your negotiating style? | how to make your own opportunities | how i became a published author | large clients we landed from quickbooks consulting | 26 value-added benefits clients need to know | how an out-of-work tax preparer ‘saved’ our lives
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some even sell, but many more talk about starting the process but are not really committed to selling.
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when the kids don’t want to take over

if you didn’t have time pressure, how might your planning change?

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i had a client who had five sons and three daughters who worked in his business. their ages ranged from 28 to 48. i was helping him with exit planning and suggested that i could possibly structure a transaction where either some or all of his children could buy his business.

more: how to waste lunch hour | why you’re only as good as your staff | why tax time is the best time to get new business | becoming a ‘media star’ | don’t pass up opportunities
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

he liked the idea and i told him to meet with them and suggest it.
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how to waste lunch hour

business colleagues eating meal together and discussing workthis was time that could have been spent working on the business.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i was recently in manhattan during lunchtime and thought i would drop in at a cpa firm i did some consulting for to see if anyone was available to have a quick lunch with me.

more: why you’re only as good as your staff | staff may surprise you with leadership | problem clients | when pushing the pencil pays off | when to say no to pro bono work | i used to hate quickbooks | things change | how to be ’the other guy’s accountant’
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it was around 12:45. if no one available, no harm done. i showed up (that counts as a “client contact”), would see a few people and then would only be there 10 or so minutes.
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why you’re only as good as your staff

senior businessman mentoring two younger workerseveryone is busy, but work still has to flow smoothly.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

this is a response to a reader who sent me the following email:

more: staff may surprise you with leadership | what’s your negotiating style? | how to make your own opportunities | how i became a published author | large clients we landed from quickbooks consulting | 26 value-added benefits clients need to know
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

all your articles are good, and so was this one about a surprise staff leader.

question: why was it important in your firm, for you personally, to “know” about elliot and the tax manager?

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staff may surprise you with leadership

two happy businessmen looking at digital tablet at desk in office3 lessons learned.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

one time i was reviewing a time run and noticed a certain staff tax person, elliot, kept appearing on clients he wasn’t assigned to and i wondered why.

more: what’s your negotiating style? | why tax time is the best time to get new business | becoming a ‘media star’ | don’t pass up opportunities | why we train on excel, word and adobe | stop pricing by the hour | getting by giving back
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when i asked the people in charge of those clients what elliot did, i was told that they either needed a tax question answered or some research done and asked him to do it. elliot was one of the younger people in the tax department. i wondered why they asked him and not the tax manager.
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help clients see the big picture

what they ask for and what they need may differ.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i once had a client who felt he was getting ripped off by his salespeople padding their expenses.

more: what’s your negotiating style? | why tax time is the best time to get new business | becoming a ‘media star’ | don’t pass up opportunities | why we train on excel, word and adobe | stop pricing by the hour | getting by giving back | some mistakes i made
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

i found this out by walking into his office and finding his desk and credenza overloaded with files halfway up to the ceiling.

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the top five reasons tax clients go diy

and the top five ways to win them back.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

taxpayers are more than twice as likely to use do-it-your-self software to prepare their returns, but they’re also 38 percent less likely to be satisfied when they do, according to a new survey by a tax software vendor.

focused on what pushes consumers towards tax-prep diy software technology solutions, the study of more than 500 taxpayers across the u.s. shows broad opportunities for accounting professionals.

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what’s your negotiating style?

businesspeople having a meeting over coffee sitting together at a table discussing a document, young man and two middle-aged women presentthe meeting is the goal.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

we all have our own styles. many have different styles for different things. over the years i’ve developed an individual style for negotiating on behalf of clients that i have been very successful with, which i am sharing with you now.

more: why tax time is the best time to get new business | problem clients | when pushing the pencil pays off | when to say no to pro bono work | i used to hate quickbooks
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

when entering a negotiation, it is very important to have clients clearly articulate their thoughts about what they want. this takes time and patience, along with some prodding and challenging. but if it’s done right, clients will be clear about what they want.
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